SINGAPORE — In light of the recent Jakarta attacks, tackling the terrorism threat in the region is not something Indonesia can do by itself, Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security ­Affairs, Luhut Pandjaitan, said today (Jan 25). This is especially true now groups such as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (IS) have become more coordinated, with cross-border flow of ­resources such as money and weapons. 

Delivering his keynote address at the fourth Fullerton Forum in Singapore for top defence officials and military brass, the retired general stressed the need for closer cooperation among countries in the region: “We are successful so far (in) mapping the activities of terrorism in this region. But we believe again that we cannot do it alone.”

His comments came as both Singapore and Indonesia grapple with fresh terror threats on home soil. On Jan 14, four suspected IS militants used bombs and gunfire to attack central Jakarta in broad daylight. Four assailants and four bystanders were killed, with more than 20 others injured.

About a week later, Singapore said it had arrested 27 Bangladeshi nationals who were plotting terror attacks abroad with the intention to overthrow the government in Dhaka.

General (Retired) Luhut said the jihadist movement aims to disrupt daily life, demoralise the community and destabilise the country, and the Indonesian government’s policy has always been clear that it does not negotiate with terrorists who are trying to create such instability.

“We will retaliate immediately if anything happens in Indonesia … For us, we want to bring stability to the people of Indonesia,” he said, pointing out how the two remaining attackers in the Jakarta blasts were decisively taken down within 12 minutes. 

But IS’ goal of establishing an Islamic caliphate in the region has appealed to some segments in the population, especially those from poorer rural backgrounds. Coupled with an effective social media strategy to execute their campaigns, some middle-class Indonesians have also been radicalised, the Minister observed. 

The Jakarta attacks also demonstrated the well-connected network among terrorist groups, where attackers previously aligned with Al Qaeda-affiliate Jemaah Islamiyah carried out orders from IS. The two groups may be fighting each other in Syria, but Mr Luhut said this shows that their affiliates can still cooperate to carry out an attack.

Weapons have also been supplied to Indonesian terrorists by radicals in Mindanao in the Philippines, while  IS’ international financing network has seen as much as US$800,000 (S$1.15 million) coming from Syria and Australia to support activities in Indonesia. The Minister said: “We don’t know yet from where (exactly the money came), but right now our agencies are working very hard to monitor this financing support.” 

Other challenges that Indonesia faces in trying to contain terrorism activity in the country include trying to intercept couriers involved in information delivery. The terrorist cells’ strategy of restricted communication among themselves also makes it more difficult for the police to crack down on the organisation, he added.

Aside from “hard” measures such as preparing its special forces and enhancing police powers, the Indonesian government has also worked with local Muslim organisations on counter-radicalisation campaigns. It will also step up its programmes to alleviate poverty in rural areas. 

“We have to bring stability in this region because the Muslim population is the largest in Indonesia right now (with) 230 million people. So this is also a good area for radical groups to expand their activities if you don’t bring prosperity in the region,” said the former army commander.

Speaking to the media after the opening address, Singapore Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen agreed that more coordinated regional cooperation will be needed to tackle terrorism threats: “No country will be able to minimise this risk alone and the more we cooperate, I think the stronger we become. This is a fight that may last many decades and we need many, many partners,” he said.